Guides · Heads
Back of the Head, Three-Quarter: Reference Photos
Reference photos of the back of the head in three-quarter view: the head turned about one hundred and fifty-five degrees from the camera, face mostly hidden. Each photo below is a real person at that angle, with the landmarks that show listed underneath.
Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 
NASA KSC, U.S. Government Work (NASA) 
Rico Shen, CC BY-SA 
Redd Angelo reddangelo16, CC0 1.0 
Louie Tsui, CC BY 
Benlisquare, CC BY-SA 
Harry Pot / Anefo, CC0 1.0 
Ely1, CC BY-SA 
Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 
Myself, Public Domain Mark 
Spencer Najera, CC BY 
NASA/Kim Shiflett, U.S. Government Work (NASA)
What changes at this angle
- The near ear is seen from behind, so its back surface shows and it stands out from the skull.
- The nose is hidden behind the cheek. The outline of the face in front of the ear is the cheek, with no nose breaking it.
- No eye shows. The space in front of the ear holds only cheek and temple, with no eye or lashes.
- The jaw line runs forward and down from under the ear and disappears behind the cheek, so it ends before it reaches a chin. The jaw is visible near the ear and ends at the outline of the cheek.
- The back of the skull bulges out behind the ear. The outline behind the ear swells out before curving down to the neck, and the widest part of the head sits above and behind the ear.
What goes wrong
- Drawing the ear with its opening facing the viewer, as in a side view.
- Adding a sliver of eye to a head that has turned too far for one to show.
- Drawing the chin where the jaw should vanish behind the cheek.
- Drawing the back of the head as a flat edge that drops straight into the neck.
Try it
Open the same rear angle in the head search to see the full set of results.